About

I remember the first time I tried to prepare tofu: I clumsily cracked open a package of it, cut it up into little cubes, rolled it into some cornmeal and attempted to dry-fry it over high heat. As I bit into the slightly charred and totally tasteless pieces of tofu, I felt nothing but disgust … who could possibly eat this and think it tasted good?

Before I learned to cook, I had an intense dislike for things like tofu and vegetables, because I thought that they were boring and tasteless, which can be partially true, depending on how you approach them. It wasn’t until I learned to prepare them properly—applying the correct methods and techniques, and pairing them with complimentary components and flavors—that I began to truly appreciate them.

I’ve always been a vegan mentally—I just didn’t always know it. I ate meat up until high school and then altered between sporadically abstaining from and consuming it during college and my early twenties. Something wasn’t quite right with all this, but I could never put my finger on it. I was always trying to eliminate something from my diet, but lacked the insight to pinpoint exactly what that should be. Then, one day in my mid-twenties, I had an epiphany: if I told people I was a vegetarian, then I wouldn’t have to eat meat. Genius. Something just felt right about it.

But this feeling was short-lived and the urge to eliminate something else from my diet came back. It was gnawing and slightly annoying. One evening, I announced to my then-boyfriend, who is now my husband, “I’m going to go vegan.” He laughed, then said, “are you serious?” and then, “what is that again?”That was more than 10 years ago and, since then, I’ve felt a definitive and overwhelming peace, as well as a large sense of relief about my decision.

When I first went vegan, I never really cooked or had any experience in the kitchen. In fact, I could barely boil water, found cookbooks to be amazingly boring and never watched a cooking show. My current diet reflected this and I was bored to death with figuring out what to eat. I slowly began to scour vegan blogs and cookbooks like Vegan with a Vengeance for ideas and found out that I could actually cook. After a few years of studying and replicating other vegan cooking ideas and methods I saw on other food blogs, I thought: I could totally do this myself, and created Olives for Dinner in January 2011.

Most of them are not low-fat.

In fact, I use lots of oils and nuts to introduce and impart a richness and depth of flavor into tofu and vegetables. Fat is good, fat is flavor.

Ethical veganism and dietary perfection are not the same thing.

I am an ethical vegan.Ethical veganism (for me) is motivated by compassion and empathy, which is based on feelings and emotions—a gut reaction. This is completely opposite from dietary perfection, which is based on logic and sometimes fueled by anxiety, and is often and unfortunately perceived as the same thing. Veganism for me is about adding things to your diet, and enjoying flavors and cooking—without the use of animal products. Therefore, the recipes you’ll find on this blog may not always be 100% healthy, but they are all 100% vegan.

I use hot sauces liberally and frequently.

Nothing is better than the taste of sriracha, fresh habanero or chili flakes.

Recipes on this blog are not representative of how I eat all of the time.

Most days of the week I am eating plainly prepared fresh kale and tofu, beans, smoothies, oatmeal and tea. While this blog has many practical recipes for everyday use, others represent fun and creative ideas that pop into my head during the week.

I can’t stress enough how important pressing is when preparing tofu. Read all about it.

I use, create and love mock meat and cheeses.

People often ask me why I continue to create and eat things that taste like meat and dairy if my diet, by definition, excludes them. I didn’t become vegan because I hated the taste of these things—I removed them from my diet because consuming “the real thing” did not sit well with me.

It’s all about balance.

I try to keep a balance here of “quick and easy” or weeknight recipes that utilize common ingredients and easy techniques with more elaborate and time-consuming recipes that utilize harder-to-find and more difficult techniques. Embracing both enables me to challenge myself in different ways and allows me (and perhaps you!) to be more creative and daring in the kitchen.

I believe that presentation is as important as taste.

I realize that a vegan diet isn’t for everyone; however, I would like to debunk the myth that vegan food is tasteless, boring and inaccessible. I hope that my blog doesn’t just tell you this, but shows you this, and proves to be easy to replicate in any kitchen with any pantry items, at all levels of cooking abilities and within various time intervals.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my dry-fried cornmeal tofu catastrophe marked the beginning of my culinary journey. Since then, I’ve transformed that disgust into delight, and have thoroughly enjoyed every step along the way. I hope that my blog and recipes can inspire you in your own journey, in the same way other vegan blogs have inspired mine.

Questions? Email me at erinwyso [at] olivesfordinner [dot] com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

What a wonderful story! And I have to say you've been absolutely successful at bringing us the most delicious looking food I've seen! Of the recipes I've tried out, they have all been fantastic, and they're all things I now keep on hand whenever I need to brighten up my mealplan!

I just found your blog, and your story about your omniverous husband and you as a vegan sounds EXACTLY like my household. On the bright side, I find that my husband is my primary indicator of how good something is – if he's willing to eat my vegan dish instead of meat or fish, it's a go :-). I look forward to reading more!

I agree with and love everything about this entry except that a vegan diet isn't for everyone. I think it is! Everyone can come to reject speciesism and live in a way that causes minimal harm to others.:-)

Thank you SO much for bringing wonderful photographs and vegan cuisine to all of us vegans who believe as you do that vegan cuisine need not be boring. I also love taking classic meals and veganizing them. Wonderful! Appreciate you so much. Please keep it up. Thanks also for the information on properly pressing tofu..

I just stumbled on your site via vegansaurus and omg – I am in love!!!

Your story is very similar to mine and now I find myself with a real love and passion for cooking. My husband used to be an avid meat and cheese person and now, as a (ethical) vegan, he actually likes food more (a good extra 20 pounds and everyday excitement for dinner can attest to that).

I can't believe I'm only just now discovering your incredible blog. Your dishes have an exotic and soulful appeal that are right up my alley. Thank you for all the food for thought as I conceptualize my own blog in the works!

Hi Erin, I stumbled on your website as I was completing my Plant Based Diet through Rouxbe! I was so fortunate to win 3 of their courses by playing Monopoly at Safeway. They had 3 to try so I did Knife Skills, Plant Based & Cook’s Roadmap .On the Cook’s Roadmap, I just have the last 4 course dinner to prepare, but I am still in the process of remodeling our Kitchen/house so I am waiting until I can use my kitchen in it’s entirety! I absolutely love the Rouxbe classes & the structure as well. I am on task #170 of the Plant Based Diet with only 4 more tasks to complete. Congratulations on them waiving their fee for your blog & your husband does amazing photography!

I love this! I became a vegan purely for ethical reasons, and whenever searching for vegan recipes I am frustrated by the fact they are so often gluten free, oil free, or in some other way trying to be healthy. Also, I love(d) the taste of animal products and am always looking for ways to make mock versions of them. That’s why I am so excited about your blog. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Erin,
My husband and I are just started our Vegan Journey. Your blog is just what we were looking for. We have so many questions and I have found many answers on your blog. If you can recommend the basics for our pantry that would be very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

HI Erin,
I read quite a few food blogs but yours is by far the most gourmet. I get excited every time I see your email. I too stopped eating animals because of the utter cruelty they face every single day. All the more reason I so enjoy your recipes.
Thank you for always sharing!

My culinary journey is nearly identical to yours! The first time I ate tofu it was so bland and repugnant, that I felt like it was an insult to my taste buds. Now, I am a chef and create unique vegan food with an Italian-Hispanic- Middle Easten flare. I’ve found that since having gone vegan that I eat/create/serve/share far more interesting and unique foods in comparison to the standard American fare. Your insight and recipes (which I admittedly have never followed to the letter) have provided endless amounts of inspiration and excitement. I thoroughly enjoy your perspective, taste and beautiful food porn! Thank you for doing what you do. If you’re ever in Orange County, California, I’d love to work with you to create something truly unique and memorable. Cheers!

Betty, thanks for your comment! I love hearing that you also don’t follow recipes to the letter (I find I enjoy cooking the most when I’m not forced to write every step and measurement down, or follow exact steps either) and I love that it’s provided inspiration to you. We were recently in California (South Bay) for 3 years, but moved back to Boston half a year ago. I definitely miss the food scene and people there — the vegan food options were insane there!